


Penguin Suit Promises

by sandean_cas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Accidental Marriage, Accidental Relationship, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Birthday, Castiel & Sam Winchester Friendship, Castiel Gets What Castiel Wants (Supernatural), Castiel Loves Dean Winchester, Castiel Makes the First Move (Supernatural), Castiel and Dean Winchester Being Idiots, Castiel and Dean Winchester Have a Profound Bond, Castiel and Dean Winchester Need to Use Their Words, Castiel and Dean Winchester in Love, Castiel in the Men of Letters Bunker (Supernatural), Castiel is a Winchester (Supernatural), Castiel/Dean Winchester First Kiss, Chick-Flick Moments, Dean Winchester Loves Castiel, Dean Winchester Loves Chick-Flick Moments, Dean Winchester Loves Chick-Flicks, Dean Winchester Says "I Love You", Dean Winchester Wears a Suit, Dean Winchester is Protective of Castiel, Dean Winchester's Birthday, Domestic Castiel/Dean Winchester, Established Castiel/Dean Winchester, First Kiss, Fluff, Gift Giving, Headcanon Accepted, I Will Go Down With This Ship, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Meddling Sam Winchester, Miscommunication, New Year's Eve, New Year's Fluff, New Year's Kiss, New Year's Resolutions, New Years, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Oblivious, Oblivious Dean Winchester, Penguins, Plans For The Future, Quote: No chick-flick moments. (Supernatural), Sam Winchester Knows, Sam Winchester Ships Castiel/Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester Wears a Suit, Sam Winchester is Not Amused, Sam Winchester is a Saint, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Tuxedos, Unrequited Love, Wedding Rings, here comes the bride, penguins give pebbles as presents
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-06
Updated: 2020-01-06
Packaged: 2021-02-27 16:08:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,009
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22069789
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandean_cas/pseuds/sandean_cas
Summary: Castiel stares at himself in the mirror while Dean fumbles around with the tapered part of his coat. He suddenly feels like a penguin… waddling around in a black and white suit.“You look sharp.” Dean observes.A smile flits across his face. “Thank you Dean. You look handsome too.”“Well, we have Sam to thank.” He murmurs. “I still don’t get why he’s being so secretive and formal. I swear man, I saw him sneaking around dressed as a father. Who does he think he is… the pope?”As Dean slips out of his room, Castiel presses his hand against his pocket, ensuring that his present is still there.…One hand reaches into his pocket and he tries to slip on an easy smile. “I have something for you Dean.”“Oh?”Castiel is just retrieving the ring as Sam announces his presence loudly. It’s enough to startle an already frazzled Castiel into dropping the ring. He struggles to bend, but manages to manoeuvre himself onto one knee to pick it up.He’s broken out of his musings by Sam’s exclamation. “Holy shit!”“Yes.” Is all Dean says.“Well this is entirely unnecessary.” Sam says flipping open a box with two gold rings. “Because you just proposed to Dean.”“I did?”
Relationships: Castiel & Dean Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 6
Kudos: 145





	Penguin Suit Promises

Dean stares at it with a pinched expression.

Placed like a headstone, in his garden right near the apple tree where he could see it every time he picks some to make pie, is the stone.

It has one name engraved: Castiel.

** Three Years Ago **

Discomfort distracts him from the sales person fluttering around him, fussing about the size of his pants and the length of the trail down his side.

Dean notices and jabs him in the ribs playfully. "I think she likes you." Dean whispers.

Castiel stiffens. That isn't the effect he wants to have. How had he even managed to give that impression. As Dean would say, he had a ‘stick up his ass’ for most of the proceedings.

Granted, some might find that look to be appealing.

Why Dean wants them to wear these monkey suits for a party inside the bunker, he will never know. 

Then there's the problem of the new year’s resolution he's supposed to tell Dean about by midnight. That doesn't help his nerves. He'd Googled the topic extensively and come up with the most basic of vows. None of which even makes any sense for a creature like him.

How is he supposed to 'eat less' when he eats nothing at all?

Castiel sighs. Yet another human tradition to add to the ever-growing list of thing that he does not know or understand. 

Animals are much simpler in that regard. One shake of a tail feather or a flashing light is all that's needed. No fuss. No wondering. Clear cut signals.

Castiel wishes humans understood simple logic. But he knows well enough that they don't have the capacity too. Everything must be complicated and intricate. That, like most human things, he'd learned from Dean.

Dean who, upon investigation had fit every single characteristic of human attraction toward another person... yet, he called him brother. And more than that, he knows that Dean finds nothing wrong with his actions.

He'd never know just how much those misunderstood gestures had caused his brain to malfunction.

Thankfully, he hadn’t bothered to ask Dean. That, he knows would have been a monumental disaster.

Half the time, Dean still does things that confuse him, or make him think that they might have a chance, but the risk is too large.

“I don’t see why I have to wear this monkey suit.” Castiel grumbles.

Dean shrugs. “Sam says we have to.” He screws his face up, but Castiel knows that Dean doesn’t really mind. “These are penguin suits by the way. I like that better.”

Castiel cocks his head. Dean likes penguins more than monkeys; that’s seems important to note.

…

Penguins.

Chinstrap, Emperor Gentoo, Adelie.

In a way, Castiel is just like a penguin. Designed with wings but unable to use them. A flightless bird. It’s only fitting that he investigate their customs.

The most interesting of all, is their gift giving. In the barren, icy desert they inhabit, there is only snow and fish. Even fish is rare. So what would they give to one another. Pebbles. An unobtrusive thing in most cultures but Castiel finds it particularly fascinating.

He knows the human tradition of kissing as the clock strikes twelve. If he could find himself close enough to Dean, at that time, then, maybe…

Maybe he could kiss Dean.

It would be in a purely functionary role, but he would _kiss_ Dean.

…

Castiel is determined – a man on a mission, as Dean would say – to find the perfect gift for Dean.

“Cass!” Sam shouts as he’s walking up the stairs. “Cass! Slow down.”

“What’s up Sam?” he says shortly. He doesn’t mean to be mean, but he _is_ in a rush.

“Where are you going?”

“Just…” he isn’t sure how Sam would react to him. “Shopping.”

“One of you needs to get some stones.” Sam blurts, fisting his hands at his side.

Castiel cocks his head at the reaction. “That is why I’m going shopping.”

The look on Sam’s face reminds him of a child he’s seen at the carnival when his mother bought him the largest, most colourful lollipop at the fair.

“You’re going to tell Dean how you feel.”

His face must look stricken, because Sam’s smile falls. “Dean doesn’t know. If that’s what you’re worried about.”

Sighing in relief, he glances back to Sam, wondering how he knows… “I – just wanted to kiss him at midnight. It’s a popular tradition, I’m told.”

“And you thought a gift would sweeten him up.” Sam surmises.

“Please don’t tell him.”

“I won’t.” Sam assures, holding up as hand, “But… for the record, I think he feels the same way.”

Castiel’s entire world narrows to that moment. “What?” he breathes, hanging onto the railing for support. Sam’s face says he isn’t joking.

“Why are you making us wear… penguin suits?” Castiel wonders tentatively.

Sam smiles. “Oh, no reason.”

Narrowing his eyes, he pins Sam with a glare, “When Dean says that, he’s about to draw a penis on my arm.”

Sam barks out a laugh. “No penises. Well… after my part, I have no say what you do about penises.” Smiling cheekily at his own joke, Sam pats his arm.

“You go get your stones.”

…

Castiel stares at himself in the mirror while Dean fumbles around with the tapered part of his jacket. Is it even a jacket? He suddenly feels like a penguin… waddling around in a black and white suit.

“You look sharp.” Dean observes.

A smile flits across his face. “Thank you Dean. You look handsome too.”

Dean ducks his head, flushing at the compliment. “Well, we have Sam to thank.” He murmurs. “I still don’t get why he’s being so secretive and formal. I swear man, I saw him sneaking around dressed as a father. Who does he think he is… the pope?”

“I highly doubt that Sam is confused as to his identity.” Castiel assures.

“You ready to head out and face the reverend?”

Assuming he means Sam, Castiel grins. “Not quite yet. I just need to collect a few things.”

“Good. Meet you in the kitchen.”

As Dean slips out of his room, Castiel presses his hand against his pocket, ensuring that the rocks that he bought are still there. There’s another one, much bigger, that he bought in a moment of indecision. He isn’t sure which one Dean will appreciate more. He knows that Dean always thinks that bigger is better, but he also prefers practicality. Castiel will just give him both. No harm done, he can dispose of the one he doesn’t like.

Straightening his jacket and running a hand through his hair, he appraises himself in the mirror. “You can do this.” He points at himself and nods.

…

Dean is waiting in the kitchen sipping his drink and glancing at the clock every so often. “What’s up buddy?” he asks as Cass enters.

“Everything is fine.” He says more to himself than to Dean.

“You seen Sam? He just vanished.”

He shakes his head, no. But even if Sam had passed right in front of him, Castiel doubts that he would have noticed past his panic on the way over.

One hand reaches into his pocket and he tries to slip on an easy smile. “I have something for you Dean.”

“Oh.” Dean rests his glass down, looking on in interest.

Castiel is just retrieving the ring as Sam announces his presence with a loud ‘hello.’ It’s enough to startle an already frazzled Castiel into dropping the ring. He struggles to bend, but manages to manoeuvre himself onto one knee to pick it up. It’s nice he thinks, a black tungsten carbide band that rises into a crown like shape with a three emeralds dotting the peaks of the crown. He likes this one the most because the three pointed crown can almost double as a ‘W’ if he flips it over.

He’s broken out of his musings by Sam’s exclamation. “Holy shit!”

Does Sam not like his present? He glances at Dean to see his reaction and Castiel is not disappointed. A potent mix of awe and love flash across his features.

“Yes.” Is all Dean says.

“Well this is entirely unnecessary.” Sam says flipping open a box with two gold rings.

“Why is it unnecessary?” he wonders.

“Because you just proposed to Dean.” Sam looks about ready to erupt with happiness.

“I did?” It’s only then that he realises the picture he presents. Down on one knee in a penguin suit before the man he loves. Panic kicks in first. Dean gracing him with a kiss is a one in a million chance, but marriage? He might as well just leave now, before Dean had the chance to kick him out. “Dean I am _so_ sorry. This isn’t what it looks like I swear I –”

Dean’s face becomes pinched. “It’s fine.” His tone implies that it’s anything but fine.

“Dean you know I would never do this to –to our bond. You know how much it mean to me. I would never be selfish enough to – wait.” An earlier bit of the conversation come to mind. “You said yes.”

Flushing, Dean seems at a loss as to where to look. “You said yes.” Castiel repeats, entranced, “When you thought I was asking you to marry me.”

Staring wide-eyed, he suddenly realises what he has to do. He crouches on one knee again and smiles, offering the ring once more. “Will you marry me Dean Winchester?”

With one hand clamped over his mouth in shock and the other gripping the edge of the table tightly Dean gives a single nod, tears gathering in his eyes. “Yes. Yes.”

Sam gives a whoop and Castiel slides the ring onto Dean’s trembling finger. “I love it Cass. Love you Cass.” And Dean grabs him by the scruff of his penguin suit and drags him in for a bruising kiss.

“I love you Dean.” He breathes, feeling Dean smile against his lips.

Letting out a harsh breath Dean, presses their foreheads together. “I guess we found a new year’s resolution after all.” Castiel cocks his head. “Getting married, idiot.” Dean supplies.

Castiel grins. “Mine was actually to kiss you at midnight.”

Sam clicks his tongue, drawing their attention. “Mission accomplished Cass.”

12:02

Castiel stares at Dean, who stares back just as intensely.

Sam coughs.

“Is no one going to ask me what my resolution was?”

“To be the flower girl at our wedding?” Dean teases.

“To _officiate_ the wedding.” Sam says smugly, gesturing to the pair of rings on the table.

“Oh.” Is Dean’s eloquent response.

Castiel chuckles. “Is that why you are dressed as a reverend? And made us wear these uncomfortable penguin suits?”

“I’m glad someone noticed.” He glares pointedly at Dean.

“Yeah, yeah.” Dean says drily, knitting their hands together.

“I can still do it if you two want me to.” Sam offers, standing up a bit straighter to belay his eagerness.

Castiel shares a long look with Dean and they both nod once.

Dean turn to Sam with a nervous smile. “So… who’s playing ‘here comes the bride?’”

…

Dean stares at it with a pinched expression.

Placed like a headstone, in his garden right near the apple tree where he could see it every time he picks some to make pie, is the stone.

It has one name engraved: Castiel.

Of course, the rest of the sentence is wrapped around the huge boulder of volcanic rock.

_Castiel & Dean Winchester Residence._

He remembers when Castiel gave him the huge sphere, two times bigger than his face. It had been on his birthday, not even a month after the wedding. Castiel admitted to keeping it around, unsure if Dean would like it; said that penguins give rocks as gifts. Castiel had it filed and engraved before presenting it to Dean. And, of course, Dean assured him that he loves it… loves the idea… the permanence.

Now, three years later, it’s one of his most prized possessions.

Along with the penguin suits they rented but never returned…


End file.
